Buddo95

Hi guys I have an 89 Cherokee and I recently rolled it. Luckily on the fender got smashed. My roof rack hit the ground pretty good and I mounted it to the factory rails. Needless to say it pulled up one of my rails, my question is where can I find the grommets for the holes that the rail screws into on the roof? Thanks in advance.

DFlintstone

I think you will find there actually are nuts welded to the roof. (round deals) I ruined my headliner removing it Btw....It Can be done though...I'd look at it from above if you can...

You broke a golden rule! (Keep the rubber side down!)

cruiser54

Ace hardware. Take a bolt and sample of your "well nut".

Buddo95

Ok I didn't know about the well nuts but I'll check those out, are the grommets just ordinary ones then?

cruiser54

Grommet with nut = well nut. All one piece.

Dan91

Im 99% sure they're called riv nuts. They are riveted in place to provide a good tight fit and seal. I recently rolled my XJ and ripped one out. The easiest/most cost effective way I found was to JB weld a nut in place. Placing it properly can be annoying though. Also it doesnt look great, but it's covered by the rail anyways. If you want you can replace those stupid torx screws wih allen drive ones. They're M6 1.0 thread. ( I did this cause I lost a couple lol)



Edit. I vaguely remember there being rubber grommet things on my 89's roof. Maybe im remembering wrong. My 99 definitely has the rivnuts though.

DFlintstone

My 76 Wagoner has (spendy/$12 each at the dealer) Rubber grommets w/brass threads. If you could make the hole right for one of those, (bigger than a dime, IIRC), that might be a fix. (if yours is ripped out). My 90 has the "rivet nut" pictured above. It seems welded!

Buddo95

This is what I have on the outside of the roof (where the rail goes) That's why I thought there was a grommet there, what do these well nuts look like on their own?

Dan91

Quick vid explaining rivnuts. The pic you posted is definitely a rivnut.
That looks like how I remember my '89. Rubber grommets with a threaded portion inside. I'd guess you could grab some at a JY. Dunno if anyone makes the specific part anymore.

Buddo95

Thanks dan91, I thought it was a special grommet cause I didn't see anything when I redid my headliner. Do you know of a way to pull them out without destroying them?

BatmanXJ

Take all of the top trim off and fixtures off. I leave the retaining clips on the head liner and took them off the metal. Then it should just ease down.

Buddo95

I know how to pull the headliner, I redid it a few months ago. I was asking about the grommet nuts. How to get them without tearing em up

DFlintstone

Sometimes with a rivet you can carefully grind, or drill off the flange, (the lip that holds it), sort of like the head of a nail. (a hollow nail in this case).

Once a rivet is expanded, it's really almost "one" with the material it's in. This is extra tricky being in thin steel. If you find the right Torx driver, (there will be one, (25?), on one of those multy bit packs). If you remove all 8 screws and the rack and post some pics maybe someone here will have an idea...

With the rack off you probably just rip out the "riv-nuts" with a dent puller. That would leave a bunch of messy holes though.

hbracing13

There is not a easy way to getting them out its you either grind them down flat. Or drill and have someone hold the bottom part. But grinding is faster, either way the headliner needs to come off. If you plan on getting new ones you'll need grainger has them but you'll need to know someone or have a account with them. Then you'll need to get the tool for them and a good one isn't cheap. Or other option just make some slugs and weld them on call it a day.

I re-read the question and didn't know if I answered it correctly if your just taking the screws out then its a t30 if I recall but if replacing the rivnut then it as I explained.

Buddo95

I do not have a rivnut. Those were on later models. I have the grommet that had a threaded part. I will be pulling the headliner down today and will post pics. There is a pic of what it looks like from the outside on one of my earlier posts. Thanks for the detailed answers though, I really appreciate them.